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Is Hollywood slipping? “Expelled” is coming

I am not a movie buff. In fact, “buff” is not a word that would ever be forced into service to describe me. But I digress. I take my wife to see a movie two or three times a year. Even on those occasions I confess that I am more interested in being with her than watching the big screen. Thus, I was clueless when I saw Joe Thorn’s Slusho shot and read his comments about his “most highly anticipated movie of 2008” (I had never heard of the movie, but I am intrigued by viral marketing, so I was interested).

So, when a fellow church member, Dan Phillips (not the pyromaniac), emailed me about a movie coming out in February 2008, I was not initially very interested. Until I read about it. Then I wondered if it was a joke–an urban legend. It passed the Snopes test, so I looked into it further and must say, I am pleasantly surprised to learn that something like “Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed” could be coming out of 21st century Hollywood. Ben Stein chronicles the experiences of scientists who have been blackballed by the academy for questioning the ideologies of Darwinism, global warming and the like. Stories about such leftwing fundamentalism have been accumulating through the years, but no one has ever attempted to weave them all together and portray them on the big screen. Evidently, that is exactly what “Expelled” attempts to do. It ought to be fascinating to watch antics of those who, while screaming for academic freedom and ideological pluralism, militantly cut off dissident voices that dare question current scientific dogma.

If this project is successful, Stein and everyone else involved in it, will have successfully hoisted the radical left on their own petard.

Tom Ascol has served as a Pastor of Grace Baptist Church in Cape Coral, FL since 1986. Prior to moving to Florida he served as pastor and associate pastor of churches in Texas. He has a BS degree in sociology from Texas A&M University (1979) and has also earned the MDiv and PhD degrees from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Ft. Worth, Texas. He has served as an adjunct professor of theology for various colleges and seminaries, including Reformed Theological Seminary, the Covenant Baptist Theological Seminary, African Christian University, Copperbelt Ministerial College, and Reformed Baptist Seminary. He has also served as Visiting Professor at the Nicole Institute for Baptist Studies at Reformed Theological Seminary in Orlando, Florida. Tom serves as the President of Founders Ministries and The Institute of Public Theology. He has edited the Founders Journal, a quarterly theological publication of Founders Ministries, and has written hundreds of articles for various journals and magazines. He has been a regular contributor to TableTalk, the monthly magazine of Ligonier Ministries. He has also edited and contributed to several books, including Dear Timothy: Letters on Pastoral Ministry, The Truth and Grace Memory Books for children and  Recovering the Gospel and Reformation of Churches. He is also the author of From the Protestant Reformation to the Southern Baptist Convention, Traditional Theology and the SBC and Strong and Courageous. Tom regularly preaches and lectures at various conferences throughout the United States and other countries. In addition he regularly contributes articles to the Founders website and hosts a weekly podcast called The Sword & The Trowel. He and his wife Donna have six children along with four sons-in-law and a daughter-in-law. They have sixteen grandchildren.
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